Paper feeding machine



(No Model. y 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. LUX.

PAPER FEEDINGMAGHINB.

No. 529,927. l Patented Nov. 27, 1894,

(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. N. LUX.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

No. 529,927. Patented Nov. 27, 1894.

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PATENT NICHOLAS. LUX, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY BRADSHAW,

' OF SAME PLACE.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,927, dated November 27, 1894.

Application filed June 13, 1894;. Serial No. 514,473. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS LUX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Attachments; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view-of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with distant parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a section on line w-w, Fig.1, showing gate of press. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detail of grip fork. a

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in paper feeding attachments for printing presses, ruling machines, and the like, the object being to provide a device of this character of simple and durable construction and effective operation, by means of which-one sheet of paper at a time is picked up, straightened, fed, and delivered to the press, or other machine.

- The invention consists generally, in connection with a suitable frame and driving mechanism, of a revolving leg or arm which successively detaches the sheets of paper, one at a time from the pile or ream, an oscillating grip or fork and sheet carrier which seizes the loose or detached sheet, at one corner portion and turns it over toward the-press or other machine, revolving rollers which seize'the then front edge of the paper, a series of friction wheels which revolve between a series of moving tapes in planes at right angles to the pathof the tapes, a gate for temporarily checking the advance of the sheet at this point, and a cam operated finger arranged to engage the sheet and hold it to the said friction wheels, all as hereinafter indicated.

The invention further consists in the novel construction and combination of the above and minor features, all as hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the letter A, designates the frame of the attachment which is attached to the feed board A of a printing press, or other machine, at a, a, the connection of the frame parts at the joints a, a a a a being such as to permit said frame a vertically swinging movement with relation to such press or machine, the width of the attachment frame being substantially equal to the width of the press. Supportedin vertical arms I) of said frame is a transverse main driving shaft B, which is drivenby sprocket or other gear connection with the rotary parts of s the press or other machine. Near its righthand end said shaft carries a sprocket or other gear wheel, which is geared by a chain B, or other means to a short shaft 0, belowthe d riving shaft B. Said shaft 0 has an end bearing in one of the frame armsb, an intermediate bearing in a second of said arms, and an end bearing in an arm 1) depending from the transverse bar I) of the frame, the bearing in said bar b being out of line with the. bearings at b, b, the shaft having a knuckle, or other flexible joint at C. At its left hand portion said shaft 0 carries an arm or leg D which is shod with rubber or similar material, and which upon the angular rotation of the said shaft, contacts against one corner portion of the upper sheet of a pile or ream of paper indicated at Z upon the board Z. This pile or ream of paper is held by a shoe D carried by an arm of the frame, so that the Whole weight of the attachment comes upon the paper, a counterbalancing arm E provided with a sliding weight E being usedtogive the frame and shoe the proper bearing upon the paper.

The joint of the shaftC renders it somewhat yieldable, so that the arm or leg B may more readily adapt itself to the height of the pile of paper, while the non alignment of its bearings gives said arm or leg a somewhat skew or oblique action on the paper. 9 5

F designates a second shoe, the purpose of which is to hold-the sheet-while' the arm D pulls it from under the shoe D. Said shoe F is carried by a rock-shaft G to which is connected a compound lever, which comprises an 1 oo arm G pivoted to the frame at a, and resting upon a cam H caried by the main driving shaft, and an arm G2 connecting the arm G with a link G in the lower portion of the machine which is connected to the rock shaft G.

I designates the grip fork, and sheet carrier, which is carried by a rock-shaft I journaled in the frame, and connected by a pitman J with a crank t' of the shaft 0, the arrangement being such as to give the fork a horizontal swing through an arc of nearly one hundred and eighty degrees. The fork itself comprises a stationary arm or prong k, and a movable arm or prong k attached to a loose sleeve K on the stationary arm, said arms being normally held in close relation to each other by means of a spring K. On the sleeve Kof the stationary prong is a pinion K 1,2 are stationary racks, situated one at each end portion of the path of travel of the said pinion as the latter swings with these arms, so that said pinion will engage with the respective racks and will be rotated, thereby opening the fork to catch the sheet of paper, and again to release it, there being teeth enough on each rack to give the pinion a onehalf rotation. Between the two racks the pinion is free and the spring holds the two prongs k, 7.3 together, and firmly grasping the paper.

The operation of the machine as thus far described may be summed up as follows: At each rotation of the shaft 0, the arm D, detaches one sheet of the paper, pulling it from under the shoe D and letting it drop back upon said shoe. The grip fork I now catches the sheet, the shoe F being at this time released by the action of the cam H, turning said sheet completely over with its then forward edge upon the feed board, where it is caught by two revolving wheels M, M, carried by a rod or shaft M supported by the frame, and revolved by frictional contact with endless tapes or hands N traveling around said feed board in the direction of the arrow.

The manner in which the grip I catches the sheet is as follows: As the gripping device oscillates toward the left, as shown in Fig. 1, the engagement of the rackl with the pinion K opens the movable prong K of the fork. The device swings beyond the pile of the sheets and engages the top sheet, which has been partially detached by the action of the arm or leg D, at the beginning of its return movement, the reverse engagement of the rack Z and pinion K closing the prong down upon the paper and the fixed prong. 'When the pinion K comes into engagement with the opposite rack Z, the prong 7c is again opened and the sheet released and dropped, as above described.

0 designates a series of friction wheels or rollers working in slots of the feed board with their upper peripheral surfaces slightly pro- ,iecting above the tapes, said wheels being preferably shod with rubber. These wheels are journaled in planes at right angles to the paths of the tapes, and turn from left to right, whereby they work the sheet of paper against an edge guide P at the right, the forward movement of the sheet being checked by a stop or gate which in a printing press consists of the guides, as indicated at Z,' Fig. 3 of the press. In a ruling machine having side guides, a stop will not be required.

It is a finger carried by a rock-shaft S, and operated by a connection with an eccentric s on the shaft B. The purpose of this finger is to holdthe paper in contact with the friction wheels 0 during the time the advance of said sheet is checked. The finger then releases the paper, the gate rises, and the sheet is carried only by the tapes to the press, this operation continuing and a sheet being picked up, straightened and delivered at each revolution.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a paper feeding machine, the combination with a suitable frame and driving mechanism, of a rotating sheet-detaching arm, an oscillating two-part grip fork and sheet-carrier, means for opening said fork as it approaches the limit of its movement in each direction, and for holding it closed at other times, the endless moving tapes, the revolving wheels over the rear portion of the feed board, the friction wheels or rollers turning at, right angles to said tape, the edge guide and the oscillating finger for holding the sheet to said friction wheels or rollers, substantially as specified.

2. In a paper feeding machine, the combir nation with the loosely jointed frame, the shoe D thereon, and the counterbalancing arm and weight, of the main driving shaft, the rotating sheet detaching arm actuated from said main shaft, the oscillating two part grip fork and its operating devices, the endless moving tapes, the revolving wheels or rollers over the rear portion of the feed board, the friction wheels turning at right angles to said tapes, and the edge guide, substantially as specified.

3. In a paper-feeding machine the combination with the jointed frame having the shoe D and the main driving shaft of the shoe F, the rock-shaft carrying said shoe, the compound lever connected to the said rockshaft and having an arm pivoted to the frame, a cam on said driving shaft traveling in contact with said arm, the rotating sheet detaching arm for withdrawing the sheets from the shoe D, and the oscillating grip fork and sheet carrier substantially as specified.

4:. In a paper-feeding machine, the combination of a rotating sheet-detaching arm, an oscillating grip fork and sheet carrier, at stationary shoe, a rocking shoe, a feed board, a series of endless moving tapes, revolving wheels driven by contact with said tapes, a series of friction wheels or rollers turning at rightangles to said tapes, an edge guide, and an oscillating finger for holding the sheet to said wheels, substantially as specified' 5. In a paper feeding attachment, the combination with the jointed shaft 0, its sheet detaching arm and crank, of a rock shaft, a pitman connection between said crank and rock shaft, a sheet carrier and grip fork carried by the said rock shaft, said fork having a stationary arm or prong 70 provided with a loose sleeve which carries a pinion, and a movable prong attached to said sleeve, means for actuating said pinion at the proper times, and a spring for normally holding the prongs closed upon each other, substantially asspecified.

6. In a paper feeding machine, the oscillating, grip fork and sheet carrier, comprising a fixed prong k, a sleeve K looselyjournaled thereon and carrying a pinion, a movable prong attached to said sleeve, a spring for normally holding said movable prong closed, and stationary racks arranged to be engaged by said pinion as the fork approaches each limit of its movement, substantially as specified. g

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- N IOHOLAS LUX.

Witnesses:

J. P. SCHMITT, HARRY BRADSHAW. 

